Canadian teen sentenced to two years in terrorism case

MONTREAL (Reuters) - A 16-year-old boy, the youngest to stand trial for terrorism offenses in Canada, was sentenced to two years in custody on Wednesday after being found guilty of trying to join a jihadist group in Syria, the prosecutor said.

The teen, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, was found guilty by a youth court in December of committing an offense for the benefit or at the direction of a terrorist group and attempting to leave Canada to participate in terrorist activities.

The boy admitted to robbing a convenience store in 2014 when he was 15, but had pleaded not guilty to trying to use the stolen money to travel to Syria.

The boy's father, who immigrated from Algeria with his family in 2003, reported his own son to police in October 2014 after discovering a bag hidden behind their home containing a mask, knife and cash.

In addition to the sentence of two years in custody and supervision, the teenager was given 12 months of probation. The sentence is to be served consecutively with the sentence he is already serving for related criminal offences, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada said in a statement.